U.S. Massacres and Invasions, 1890-2003

John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hit Man offers an overview of the U.S. depredations of the past century that are once again being inflicted upon the Middle East:

http://www.johnperkins.org/

How is it that the American memory is so short range or the American public so innocent of U.S. attacks on a variety of countries and their citizens in various devious ways: economic manipulation, assassination, and only as a last resort invasion by American troops.

I had the good fortune to have had a high school history teacher that opened our eyes to such things, leading me to an interest in foreign affairs and even to a possible foreign service career until the advent of John Foster Dulles and his 'if you are not a friend, then we shall consider you to be our enemy' foreign policy. I watched, however, over the years as we successively:

1) Undermined the democratic reform regime of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran in 1953 and replaced him with our brutal guy, the Shah -- for threatening our oil monopolies there

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Mossadeq

We should have no complaint now that we are not loved by Iranians.

2) Got rid of democratically elected reformer, Jacob Arbenz, in Guatemala in 1954 -- for threatening United Fruit Company's monopoly there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobo_Arbenz_Guzman

3) Got rid of Salvador Allende, democratically elected President of Chile in 1973 to have him replaced with another CIA protégé, General Augusto Pinochet, whom the Chileans even now are trying to prosecute for his brutal murders of thousands:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Allende in 1973

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinochet

4) Trained in our School of the Americas:

http://www.geocities.com/~virtualtruth/soa.htm

innumerable officers from south of our border who would launch bloody coups resulting in juntas that 'disappeared' thousands (los desaparecidos) in Argentina, Brazil and Central America during the late 1970s and early 1980s:

http://www.desaparecidos.org/arg/eng.html

http://www.desaparecidos.org/brazil/victimas/listas/

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Guatemal.htm

http://web.amnesty.org/wire/October2004/ElSalvador

etc.

All of the above interventions were 'justified' as fighting communism -- but were all too often in reality a fight against democratic reforms which threatened U.S. (and British) corporate monopolies. Hence, when one hears Bush claim that he is now going to bring 'democracy' here, there, and elsewhere, you can figure:

1) that this is for home consumption only and that the rest of the world is most likely to be thinking: "It's that damned oil again!"

2) that Latin Americans in Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and other Latin American nations (where efforts to care for the less well off are being made) are infinitely relieved that our military seems to be thoroughly bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan!

For the full list of 149 (Yes, one hundred and forty-nine if I counted correctly) U.S. massacres and invasions from 1890 to 2003, go to:

http://www.neravt.com/left/invade.htm

Lest we forget!
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
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Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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